Trolley-car sign.



No. 777,482. PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904 P. MCDONALD.

TROLLEY OAR SIGN.

APPL'IOATION FILED MAR. 29, 1904 N0 MODEL.

V a N h WITNESSES: INVENTOR flwqvk QQM fimmmmamm,

Q BY W W 0 ATTORNEY.

Patented December 13, 1904.

ATENT Orrics.

TROLILEY GAH SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 777,482, dated.December 13, 1904.

Application filed March 29, 1904. $eriel1lo. 200,52. (No model.)

To (tZl 7071/0771 1'15 72111 1 concern:

Be it known that LPnrnn MCDONALD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Harrison, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful l mprovements in Trolley-Car Signs;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to makeand use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to numerals of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to that class of trolleycar signs in which anelectric light or lights are placed in a recess at the front or dasherof the car and then different transparent signs slid into place acrossthe front of said recess, so that the letters show against the light.

The objects of the present improvements are to eheapen the construction,to hold the central transparent sheet of the signs more firmly, to holdsaid sheet removably, so that it can be replaced by a new sheet, to thusenable the body portion of the sign to be used overagain, and to obtainother advantages and results, some of which may be hereinafter referredto in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved trolley-car sign and in thearrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially aswill be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses ofthe claim.

Referringto the accompanyingdrawings, in which like numerals ofreference indicate c0rresponding parts in each of the several figures,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved sign detached from itsslideway, and Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectionupon line 4r, Fig. 1, looking in the direction indi cated by the arrow;and Fig. 4 is a section as upon line 1 Fig. 1, and also showing theslideway in its relation to the sign proper.

in said drawings, 2 and 3 indicate, respectively, the front and backpieces of my improved sign, each of which is a thin cast-iron platehaving formed or cut therein any desired letters, as at 4. The lettersof one plate coincide with those of the other, and between said platesis arranged a sheet 5 of celluloid or other transparent orsemitransparent material. Both plates are curved longitudinally incoincidence with the transverse curvature of the front or dasher of thecar, and the back piece 3 has at its front side a rib or i'laugeti,extending around three sides of the same about a quarter of an inch,more or less, in from the edge and within which flange the sheet 5 ofcelluloid and front plate 2 are adapted to lie, the latter being flushat its front side with the edge of said flange. Screws 7 are then passedthrough the front plate 2 and transparent sheet 5 into the back plate3to hold the whole together. At the outer end of the sign or end by whichthe same is inserted the said rib or flange 6 does not extend across theback piece 3, as at the other end, but terminates at the edge of theplate, as at 8. A stop 9 is cast upon the plate for the end of the frontpiece 2, said stop being placed sufliciently far from the end of theback plate to allow for a handheld, as at 10, in inserting and removingthe sign.

The rim or margin 11 of the back piece 3, which projects outside the ribor flange 6, serves as a tongue to support the sign proper in itsslideway in the car front or dasher, the edges 12 of said dasher aroundthe opening for the sign being provided on opposite sides with strips 1313, which project beyond the said edges to lie on opposite sides of thetongue 11, all as illustrated in Fig. a. A setserew 14, workihg throughone of said overlapping strips 13 against the tongue 11 of the sign, maybe employed to hold said sign in place and prevent longitudinalmovement.

By my improved construction when the celluloid sheet needs renewal it isa simple matter to remove the screws 7 and separate the front and backpieces 2 3, so that the sheet 5 is exposed and free. The rest of theparts can thus be used over and over again, and a great saving ofmaterial, labor, and expense is effected.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. In asign, a back plate forming at its edges a tongue or slide, a front platesmaller than said back plate to expose said tongue or slide, said plateshaving apertures adapted to be brought into coincidence, a middle plateadapted to permit the passage of light through itself, and means forholding said plates removably together.

2. In a sign, an apertured back plate forming at its edges a tongue orslide and having in from said edges a lateral rib or flange, a frontplate adapted to fit within said rib or flange and having aperturescoinciding with those of the back plate, a middle plate adapted topermit passage of light through itself, and means for holding saidplates removably together.

3. In a sign, correspondingly apertured front and back plates one ofwhich provides a lateral recess forming a seat for a middle plate, saidmiddle plate arranged in said recess between the front and back platesand adapted to permit the passage of light through itself,andclamping-screws binding all three of said plates together to form asingle sign while permitting their ready separation for repairs orrenewal of the middle plate.

4. In a sign, correspondingly apertured front and back plates one ofwhich provides a lateral recess forming a seat for the other, a middleplate arranged in said recess between the front and back plates andadapted to permit the passage of light through itself, andclamping-screws binding all three of said plates together to form asingle sign while permitting their ready separation for repairs orrenewal of the middle plate.

5. In a sign, a plate having at one side a marginal rib, a middle plateadapted to permit the passage of light through itself arranged at itsedges within said rib, a second plate arranged at the opposite side ofsaid middle plate from the first plate, said first and second plateshaving coinciding apertures, and clamping-bolts binding all three ofsaid plates together to form a single sign while permitting their readyseparation for repairs or renewal of the middle plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this10th day of March, 1904.

PETER MCDONALD. WVitnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, RUssELL M. EVERETT.

